FACTORS AFFECTING LABOR PRODUCTIVITY AT PT. TELKOM REGIONAL DIVISION VII (PERSERO) MAKASSAR CITY

This study aims to determine the factors of employee productivity at PT. Telkom Regional Division VII (Persero) Makassar City, in terms of education level, work experience and gender. Research data obtained from the method of presenting data from the results of respondents' responses (questionnaires), and this is secondary data from telecommunications companies at PT. Telkom Regional Division VII (Persero) Makassar City, the statistical factors used in this study were multiple regression analysis using the SPSS program. The findings of this study indicate that the factors of labor productivity at PT. Telkom Regional Division VII (Persero) Makassar City which consists of education level, work experience and gender simultaneously (together) have a significant effect on employee productivity at PT. Telkom Regional Division VII (Persero) Makassar City in 2017. This is evidenced by the results based on the results of the coefficient of determination R square, the result is 0.477. meaning that productivity factors together affect employee performance by 47.7%. the rest is influenced by other factors outside this research. Based on the results of the linear regression test, the unstandardized coefficient B value of the education level is 0.522, which is greater than the work experience of 0.322. and the smaller gender is 0.211 This means that 52.2%, employee performance is influenced by education level. From the results of this study it can be concluded that the factors are more dominant in increasing employee productivity

Pattern of otitis externa in Kaduna Nigeria

Introduction: Otitis externa (OE) is an inflammation or infection of the external auditory canal (EAC), the auricle, or both this condition has been reported to be found in all age groups. The aims and objectives were, study/determine the prevalence of Otitis externa in the specialist otolaryngology clinic in National Ear Care Center Kaduna, study the pattern of presentation among patients with otitis externa in the specialist otolaryngology clinic in National Ear Care Center Kaduna, and evaluate the choice of drug treatment for otitis externa in the specialist otolaryngology clinic in National Ear Care Center Kaduna. Methods: Data of patients diagnosed with otitis externa between January 2009 and March 2013 were extracted from the recorded cases of ear disease seen within the same period. The ages, sex/ gender, complains(symptoms), duration of symptoms, clinical examination findings, diagnosis, mode of drug treatment, number of visits and complication records were extracted from the case notes of the patients and analyzed descriptively using SPSS (Statistical package for Social Sciences) version. Results: Out of 13,328 cases of ear diseases seen within the period under review, 133 cases were diagnosed with otitis externa across all age groups. Hospital prevalence stands at 1.0%. There were 81(60.9%) males and 52(39.1%) females in ratio 1.5:1. Children age 0-15 constitute 55(41.3%) while young adults and adults were 78(58.6%). The minimum age at presentation was one year, while maximum age was 64 years. Mean age was 24 years with a standard deviation of ± 1.12 Years. Ear pain as only presenting symptom was the major complain found in this study accounting for 68(51.1%). Acute diffuse otitis externa was the commonest diagnosis accounting for 101(75.9%) and associated clinical findings ranging from tragal tenderness, hyperaemia and oedema of ear canal in 57 (54.9%). Ear swab was not routinely done and only 6(15.8%) of the discharging ears had microscopy done and the organisms were Pseudomonas spp and klebsiella. Empirical treatment was the commonest treatment modality and about 91% of the patients had complete symptom resolution by second visit. Complication was observed in only one case of necrotizing otitis externa who was retro-viral positive. Conclusion: Otitis externa accounted for small fraction of cases seen in our clinic (1%). Acute diffuse otitis externa is the commonest diagnosis made with symptoms ranging from ear pain, ear discharge, hearing loss and itchiness. Most patients were treated empirically with significant success within first two visits. No major complication was recorded within the period under study

Occurrence of multi-drug resistant Enterobacteriaceae in cultured Clarias gariepinus (African catfish) in Kano metropolis, Nigeria

Multi-drug resistant Enterobacteriaceae were isolated from cultured African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) from ten different fish farms located in Kano Metropolis, Nigeria using conventional methods of bacterial isolation, phenotypic characterization and antimicrobial susceptibility test. This study seeks to document the occurrence of Enterobacteriaceae isolates in cultured African catfish from ten registered fish farms, determine possible resistance to some antimicrobials and the fish safety for human consumption. Isolation and identification of microorganisms were carried out based on the standard procedures and antimicrobial susceptibility to 8 commonly used antimicrobials were conducted using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Out of the 400 fish liver sampled, 370 (92.5%) were positive for Enterobacteriaceae isolates, these included 277 (69.25%) E. coli, 13 (3.25%) Salmonella spp, 36 (9%) Klebsiella spp, 21 (5.25%) Proteus spp and 23 (5.75%) Enterobacter spp. The prevalence of the multi-drug resistance was 97.5% for E. coli, 100% for Salmonella spp, 100% for Klebsiella spp, 90.5% for Proteus spp and 82.6% for Enterobacter spp. This study establishes the presence of some Enterobacteriaceae and the development of multi-drug resistance by these microorganisms. More studies like molecular characterization need to be carried out to determine the resistant genes in these organisms, also to assess antimicrobial use among fish farmers and the drug residue levels in the edible tissues of cultured African catfish in Kano Metropolis, Nigeria

Wastewater quality and unhygienic practices in Minna Abattoir, North Central Nigeria

Wastewater collected from Minna abattoir was analyzed for its microbiological and physicochemical properties using standard methods. The results revealed that the wastewater harboured aerobic heterotrophic bacteria (1.1 x 108 - 4.6 x 108cfu/ml), coliforms (6.3 x 105 – 3.9 x 106cfu/ml), Salmonella species (1.8 x 103 – 2.1 x 104cfu/ml), and fungi (1.4 x 104 – 4.0 x 104cfu/ml). The microorganisms were identified as species of Bacillus, Streptococcus, Escherichia, Klebsiella, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, Salmonella, Mucor, Aspergillus, and Penicillium. Escherichia coli was more consistently isolated and constituted 23.23% of the total bacterial isolates while Aspergillus flavus had the highest frequency of occurrence (28.86%) among the fungal isolates. Ova of parasites Taenia saginata, Ascaris sp., and hookworm as well as cysts of Giardia ovis were also detected in the wastewater. The wastewater had a pH of 6.03-7.60, suspended solids (8.76-3960 mg/L), ammonia (760-1140mg/L), COD (81555-8200mg/L), BOD (28-836mg/L) and sulphide (1315.2-2333.6mg/L). These values, with the exception of pH are higher than the permissible limits set by the Federal Ministry of Environment (Nigeria). The sanitary condition of Minna abattoir was poor due to indiscriminate dumping of solid wastes, discharge of untreated wastewater, and poor handling and transportation of meat to sales points. The abattoir lacked necessary gadgets for its operations. Besides, there was no potable water supply in the abattoir and therefore, it depended on commercial water vendors for its water supply. The unhygienic conditions of the abattoir and discharge of untreated wastewater into the environment posed serious threats to the environment and human health. There is the need to provide facilities in the abattoir and enlighten the users on the implications of unhygienic practices in the abattoir

Isolation of Epicatechin from the Stem Bark of Neocarya macrophylla (Sabine) Prance (Chrysobalanaceae)

Neocarya macrophylla has a wide range of medicinal uses in traditional medicine. The aim of the study was to isolate and characterize compound from the stem bark of the plant. (-)-Epicatechin (a flavan-3-ol) was isolated from the ethylacetate soluble fraction of the methanol stem bark extract of the plant using a combination of silica gel and sephadex LH-20 column chromatography. The structure of the compound as (-)-epicatechin was confirmed on the basis of chemical test, 1D- & 2D-NMR spectroscopy and comparison with existing data in literature. This is the first report of isolation of epicatechin from the stem bark of the plant. Keywords: Neocarya macrophylla, stem bark, (-)-Epicatechin, NMR analysi

SARA Separation and Determination of Concentration Levels of Some Heavy Metals in Organic Fractions of Nigerian Crude Oil

Nigerian Crude oil samples were obtained from Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC). The samples were subjected to column chromatography.  Sequential leaching method was used to separate the crude oil into four distinct fractions based on leaching of crude oil with different organic solvents and mixtures. Saturated fraction was extracted with hexane- cyclohexane (1:1v/v), aromatic fraction was extracted with hexane- toluene (7:3v/v), while resin was extracted with tetrachloromethane-trichloromethane (7:3v/v), and asphaltene was extracted with acetonitrile-methanol (1:1v/v). The fractions were digested using sulphuric acid, nitric acid and hydrochloric acid method followed by the detection of metals in the samples using AAS analysis. The elements analyzed were Pb, Cu, Cr, Fe and Ni. The result shows that Fe had the highest concentration while Ni had the least concentration. The concentration (ppm) levels of these elements in the crude oil fraction analyzed range from 0.1307 – 0.4107 for Pb, 0.1796 – 1.1250 for Cu, 2.7420 – 10.1903 for Cr, 11.2962 – 21.8084 for Fe, and 0.0464 – 0.5876 for Ni. It was obvious from this study and previous ones that Nigerian crude oil fractions have low metal content. However, despite their low concentrations they can still be detrimental to the refinery operations and the immediate environment, and therefore, should be removed before refining. Keywords: Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy, Aromatic, Asphaltenes, Risens, Saturates, Heavy Metal

Nutrient Intake, Digestibility and Nitrogen Balance in Yankasa Rams fed Treated Ensiled Eggplant (Solanum melongena) or Digitaria smutsii hay

Forty  Yankasa breed of weaner rams weighing 9.15+3.11 Wkg0.75 were used for digestibility trial to evaluate the nutritive value of treated ensiled eggplant (Solanum melongena) forage. Wilted, chopped eggplant forage was sprayed with 0.4% solution of urea, saline, equal proportion of urea-plus-saline, or water in a ratio of 1:4 (v: w) solution to forage. The treated forage was ensiled air-tight in black polythene bags for 21 days. Each of the treated forage constituted a treatment to which 8 animals were assigned in a randomized complete block design after balancing for weight. Digitaria smutsii hay was fed as control roughage in the 5th treatment. The assigned forage or hay was fed at 3% of body weight and supplemented with concentrate at 2% of body weight. The digestibility trial lasted 14 days for animals to adjust to the feed and crates, and 7 days for fecal and urine collection for laboratory chemical analysis to determine DM, CP, CF, EE, ash, NDF and ADF. Organic matter and NFE were derived from the results of the chemical analysis. Data collected for feed intakes, fecal and urine outputs, nutrient digestibility and nitrogen balance were analyzed by ANOVA using GLM procedure of SAS package, and means compared by Duncan Multiple Range Test. Crude protein in the urea-treated forage (30.13%) was more than 5 times that of the least (5.44%) in D. smutsii hay. Forage and total DM intakes (62.92 and 108.45g/ Wkg0.75 respectively) were highest (P<0.05) and the correspondent values for the hay (55.25 and 99.65g/ Wkg0.75 respectively) were least. Forage crude protein intakes for the treated forage ranged from 15.22 to 17.64 g/Wkg0.75 and was higher (P<0.05) than for the hay (3.05 g/Wkg0.75). The forage and total NFE intakes from the hay ((28.61 and 50.04g/Wkg0.75 respectively) were higher (P<0.05) than the least (14.24 and 35.34 g/Wkg0.75 respectively) in the saline-treated forage. The water-treated forage had the highest (P<0.05) digestibility for DM and OM (68.17 and 72.12% respectively). The highest (P<0.05) CP digestibility (81.01%) was for urea-treated forage and the least for the hay (64.55%). Nitrogen-free extract digestibility was highest (P<0.05) for the hay (95.83%) and least for the saline-treated (91.67%). Nitrogen intakes of the treated forage ranged from 4.23 to 4.60 g/Wkg0.75 but significantly (P<0.01) differed from the intake in Digitaria hay (2.23 g/Wkg0.75).  Highest (P<0.01) nitrogen retention was for urea-treated (2.99 g/Wkg0.75) and least for the hay (1.13 g/Wkg0.75). Urea-treated forage had the highest (P<0.01) per cent nitrogen retention (63.59%) and saline-treated forage the least (44.95%). Ensiling eggplant (Solanum melongena) forage treated with 0.4% of urea, saline, equal proportion of urea-plus-saline, or water for 21 days transformed the forage from a farm waste to consumable forage with better nutrient intakes, digestibility and nitrogen retention in sheep than Digitaria smutsii hay. Keywords: Eggplant nutrient intake and digestibility; nitrogen retention; Yankasa weaner ram

Phytochemical, antifungal and acute toxicity studies of Mitracarpus scaber Zucc. whole plant extracts

Mitracarpus scaber have been reported in the treatment of various ailments such as ulcer, cancer, skin diseases etc. It is therefore important to investigate these plant parts to ascertain their therapeutic potentials. The Mitracarpus scaber whole plant was extracted with water and methanol, screened for their phytochemical properties and antifungal effects. The plant samples were also investigated for alkaloid, flavonoids, saponins, tannins and phenolic contents using quantitative techniques. The antifungal activities of the plant samples were tested against Candida albicans, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Microsporum auduounii and Aspergillus flavus. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Fungicidal Concentration (MFC) of the extracts were also determined. Flavonoid, steroid, triterpenes, tannins, carbohydrate, glycoside, phenols were detected in both extracts while anthraquinones was absent. Alkaloid was detected in the aqueous extract but absent in methanol extract. Quantitatively, the phenols (97.0 mg/g) was the highest phytochemical detected in the plant while the lowest was alkaloid (9.2 mg/g). Toxicity of the samples was expressed as LD50, it was found above 5000 mg/kg and did not cause mortality in all the tested rats. Aqueous extract only showed inhibition on Candida albicans and Trichophyton mentagrophytes with no inhibition on Microsporum auduounii and Aspergillus flavus while ethanol extract only showed inhibition on Candida albicans with no inhibition on Microsporum auduounii, Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Aspergillus flavus at the lowest concentration 12.5 mg/ml. The aqueous extract has MIC and MFC of 12.5 mg/ml and 25 mg/ml respectively against Candidaalbicans and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. Thus, the traditional claims of the uses of the plants as antifungal agents were therefore supported

Phytochemical and antimicrobial activity of securidaca longipedunculata root against urinary tract infection pathogens

Urinary tract infection caused by bacteria leads to inflammation and over growth of uropathogens and prevalence of infection for both genders, but women is more vulnerable especially at the sexually active ages. But unfortunately, the continuous emergence of antibiotic resistant bacterial strains brings most serious public health concerns. It is therefore, important to look for more alternative, effective, safer and safer treatments. The aim of the present study was to investigate antimicrobial activity of Securidaca longipedunculata root extracts against some human pathogenic bacteria and fungi using agar well diffusion method and agar dilution for minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Phytochemical and acute toxicity studies were carried out using the standard methods. Phytochemicals which include alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, carbohydrates and triterpenes were detected in both aqueous and methanolic extracts. The antimicrobial results revealed that, the methanolic extract had promising antibacterial activity. For intense Escherichia coli was found to be the most susceptible bacteria in both methanol and aqueous extracts at 500mg/ml with inhibition zones of 20 mm and 16mm, Staphylococcus aureus was next most susceptible bacteria to methanol extract of the root with inhibition zone of 16 mm and MIC of 31.25 mg/ml respectively. The extracts does not showed activity against all the tested fungal isolates at lowest concentration 62.5 mg/ml. The LD50 of Securidaca longipedunculata was found to be greater than 5000 mg /kg and could be considered safe for consumption